Puzzle.



A. R. FOSS.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1909.

Patented May 25, 1909.

15006 r. werfizll 'oss,

ALBERT R. FOSS, OF LAWRENCE. MASSACHUSETTSl PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Application filed. Februarym, 1909. Serial No. 478,776.

To 11/! w/mm it may (01117 101 Be it known that I, ALBERT. R. Foss, a

citizen of the. United States, residing at x r Lawrence, in the county of lussex and btate oft h'lassachusetts, have invented an Improvement 1n Puzzles, of which the tollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like dicated 1n 1* igs. 2, .3 and 4, made or a single strand, or it may be, as indicated in Fig. 1,'

letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This application relates to a puzzle designed for amusement and as a test of ingenuity and patience. It is simple in construction and capable of battling 'for a long time one who undertakes its solution. It involves a holder, a continuous cord passing through the holder and through a central eye mounted thereon, and carrying one or more travelers, and the object of the puzzle is to move the traveler from one loop of the cord to another.

The nature of the invention will more 'tully appear from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings illustrate preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a construction embodying the invention. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the solution of the puzzle.

Fig.6 is a detail of a form of holder of slightly different construction from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail of still another form of holder.

The device comprises what is herein termed a holder A which may be made of any suitable material and which presents a longitudinal cord guide B. In the construe-- tion shown in Fig. 1 the holder may be of wood, as indicated at A, and the guide is simply a longitudinal hole bored through the wood, as indicated at B. The holder is provided with a central eye 0. This eye may be fixed with relation to the holder or may rotate around it. In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the central eye C is shown as formed in 1 a metal piece D revolubly mounted upon a reduced portion A of the holder A.

In the form shown in Fig. the holder A c is indicated as made of wire, the longitudinal cord guide being formed by the loops A, while tie central eye is formed by the loop A. In this form the central eye is the solver then reach through the loo fixed but it may be revoluble as indicated in v The device also comprises an endless cord 1) passing through the longitudinal cord guide and formed into a loop E which passes through the central eye and is passed through by the cord, as indicated in the drawings. This endless cord may be, as inmade of a doubled strand interlooped as indicated at 1) The cord carries mounted thereon one or more travelers F, each provided with an eye F These travelers may take any form which may be desired and which may serve to add to the amusement attending the use of the device. The passing of the cord through the longitudinal cord guide in the holder is mainly for the purpose of complicating the puzzle, as the solution of the puzzle is the'same whether the cord run freely through this cord guide or be fastened to the holder. Likewise the doubling of the cord, as indicated in Fig. 1, and its interlooping at D is for the purpose of the further complication of the solution of the puzzle. piece D so that it may rotate about the holder serves further to complicate the solution of the puzzle. The solver of the puzzle will be inclined to pull the cord back and forth through the holder to manipulate the interlooped ends 1) and to attempt to work the cord over and about the holder and will move the metal piece D into various rotary positions.

The object of the puzzle is to transfer a traveler, such as F, from one dependent loop of the cord extendin from the end of the holder to the centraT eye to the other dependent loop; that is, from the position shown by the traveler at the right to the' position shown by the traveler at the left in Fig. 1, or vice Versa.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4., the solution of the puzzle will appear. The holder Again, the construction of the is held in one hand, the central loop E of the cord is gras ed by the fingers and forwardly; t e traveler F is then s 1d up along the cord D until it passes through the loop E, as indicated in Fig. 2; the fingers (if 1 from the front and grasp the two stran s of the cord 1) at about the points marked 2 in Fig. 2: thestrai'idsof the cord D" are then vulled pulled forwardly through the central eye 0 until they pull with them the loop E and lower portions of the cord D, the said lower portions being pulled through in the form of loops 3, as indicated in Fig. 3; the traveler F will then be in the position as shown-in dotted lines at the left; the traveler will lthen be moved along the cord, through the loops osition shown in full lines 3, 3, and to the at the right in Fig. 3. The loops 3 will then be pulled back through the. central eye 3,

j carryin with them the loop E, and the cord esting and enjoyable one and to require much will be eft substantially as indicated in Fig. 4. The traveler F will then be'run along the cord from its position shown in full lines to its position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

When the cord is nowstraightened out. the

traveler will be found to occupy the position at the right. From this description it will readily be seen how the traveler can be moved back by a reversal of the'operations to its former position. I

The puzzle has been found to be an intergreat ingenuity to effect its on said h o der, a traveler provided with an eye, an endless cord passed through said guide, through said traveler eye,\and formed into a loop, the said 100 being passed through said central eye an the cord being cord (guide, a central eye.

eye, and formed into a loop, the said loop being passed through said, central eye an {he cord being in turn passed through by the 3. A puzzle comprising a holder provided with a longitudinal cord guide, a central eye on said. holder, a traveler providedwith an eye, an endless cord having a ortion interloo ed with itself to form a cor the said doubled cord passing through said guide, through said traveler eye, and being formed into a loop, the said 100 bein passed through said central eye andtlie cor being in turn passed through bythe'loo' In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

v ALBERT R. FOSS.

5o ouble endless 

